Evolution Day: An American Apocalypse Chapter 9

When the stick dropped, Cooper and the others safely returned. I also tossed a flame into the lake where gasoline still floated on the surface.

The stick hit the willow. Gasoline plus the tree itself made perfect accelerant.

Flames roared skyward, reaching seventy feet high, sparks flying everywhere. The willow thrashed its branches painfully toward the water, only to find fire there too.

The blaze burned from day into night before gradually dying down.

Considering the warm ashes, we waited a day for everything to cool before inspecting our work.

Seeing the willow roots Duke unearthed—still clearly alive—I marveled at plant resilience while giving them another thorough burning.

After everything was finished, I checked the date.

Seven days post-evolution. Or as the internet preferred: Day 7 of the Cataclysm.

Shortly after, surrounding vegetation began growing wildly. Animals, plants, and insects underwent a second evolution.

If I hadn't cleared everything within dozens of feet around my villa, plants would have engulfed my home by now.

But the situation still wasn't good. Other plants were creeping toward my property.

Fortunately, after Duke and Cooper slept for a day and woke up, their size, intelligence, strength, and defense underwent second evolution—their power doubled. Thank God they could now control and shrink their size, or they'd be sleeping on the streets.

Yet I remained worried. Humans still hadn't changed.

Day 9 of the Cataclysm: Reports emerged online of animals with human intelligence attacking human cities. Someone posted a video. Clicking it, I saw streets covered by a massive, seething mass of rats.

The largest rat at the front stood as tall as a person, intelligence gleaming in its eyes. It methodically commanded smaller, red-eyed, mindless rats to occupy the deserted city.

The next moment, a large-caliber bullet from an unknown direction ended its life.

The rat swarm scattered.